Sunday 01 February 2026

Flu has decreased. But Norovirus increases seriously. Week 19-25 January 2026:

• Flu decreased and is circulating at low levels.
• COVID-19 showed mixed trends and is circulating at baseline levels   
• respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity decreased and is circulating at low levels. 
• Norovirus has increased particularly in adults aged 65 years and over; children also suffer badly. Hospitals outbreaks have increased. This is 73.8% higher than the 5-season average for the same period. This continuing rise is pushing hospitals to their busiest levels for this time of year since before COVID-19. Hospital beds were 94.5% occupied, more than at any point during the middle of January since 2020 (95%).

Nevertheless, average ambulance handover times were more than five minutes faster. (42:51).

A&E data published showed 73.8% of patients were admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours in December, the best for five years.

The UK has lost its measles elimination status, the World Health Organisation has announced. This decision was based on the spread of cases in 2024 when there were 3,600 suspected cases. Elimination status means there is no sustained transmission, so this decision was largely expected. There were more than 1,000 cases last year as well. The move is also a reflection of the fact vaccination rates are below the 95% threshold required to achieve herd immunity – when enough people in a community are vaccinated against a disease, making it hard for the pathogen to spread.

The Lampard Inquiry into more than 2,000 Essex mental health-related deaths between 2000-2023 has been delayed by over six months. An April evidence session has been cancelled to take pre-recorded evidence from bereaved families. Two additional hearings are added in 2027, with closing statements in the summer, before the final report and recommendations are expected in mid-2028.

On Friday 16 January a patient collapsed with a suspected heart attack in Broomfield Hospital’s A&E “which tragically resulted in the death of the patient”. The Hospital immediately started an urgent investigation into this incident. An independent investigation is now being carried out, led by another hospital not involved in the case, in which the patient’s family is taking part.

We continue to monitor progress after the recent CQC report that the leadership of our local hospitals was inadequate. The Essex Joint Committee, managing the transition to launch the Essex Integrated Care Board in April, was told that a Quality Summit was held in December, and a series of follow-up meetings have been set by NHS England to ensure action continues to address the concerns. Those meetings will seek assurance that the governance framework and delivery of key workstreams will evidence sustained improvement in outcomes and deliverables.

November saw the second biggest drop in the waiting list for 15 years outside of the early days of the pandemic, as new data shows staff faced record demand in 2025.

The waiting list fell by more than 86,000 in November to 7.31 million. This came despite the NHS’s busiest ever year, with 27.8 million A&E attendances in 2025 – up over 367,000 on 2024, with 2.33 million attendances in December alone.

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